Apparatuses for improving grip on handheld devices

ABSTRACT

Handholds and protective cases that are equipped therewith and configured to be coupled to a handheld electronic device. Such a handhold includes an elongated body that is sized and configured to protrude from a back side surface of a protective case. Once secured to a handheld electronic device, the elongated body provides one or more finger holds along at least a first longitudinal side exterior surface of the elongated body that promote an individual&#39;s grip on the handheld electronic device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/486,690, filed Apr. 18, 2017, the contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to handheld devices. Theinvention particularly relates to apparatuses for use by individualswhile they are using handheld devices to enhance the ability to operatethe handheld devices with one hand and to reduce the likelihood ofaccidentally dropping a handheld device.

The last decade has seen a rapid increase in personal use of handheldelectronic devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers, electronicreaders, and the like, particularly devices with interactive touchscreens. Such devices are commonly structured to include a relativelythin planar body having a front side with a flat touch screen forinteraction with the device, and a back side oppositely disposed fromthe front side. The back sides of many of these devices are relativelyflat, smooth, and often slippery to the human touch. In general, thebackside surface often does not provide any means for the user to gripthe device with his/her fingers, especially with respect to largerdevices such as the tablet computers. Sides between the front and backsides tend to be relatively smooth without any grip or handholdfeatures. Even if push buttons are located on the device sides, thebuttons tend to be relatively flush with the surround sides. As such,these devices are prone to being dropped and damaged, especially if theyare being held by a single hand. This occurs so often that manyindividuals purchase protective cases for their handheld devices whichencase at least portions of the devices and provide added protectionagainst impacts.

In view of the above, it can be appreciated that there is an ongoingdesire for improved apparatuses for that reduce the likelihood of anindividual dropping a handheld device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides apparatuses that include a handhold andoptionally also a protective case that includes such a handhold. Thehandholds are suitable for enhancing the operation of a handheldelectronic device by an individual using one hand and for reducing thelikelihood of the individual accidentally dropping the handheldelectronic device while held in the individual's hand. Preferably, suchapparatuses allow for the individual's other hand to remain free to doother tasks.

According to one aspect of the invention, an apparatus is provided thatincludes an elongated body configured to be secured to a handheldelectronic device and protrude from a back side thereof. Once secured tothe handheld device, the elongated body provides one or more fingerholds along at least a first longitudinal side exterior surface of theelongated body that promote an individual's grip on the handheld device.

According to another aspect of the invention, an apparatus is providedthat includes a protective case configured to be removably coupled withand at least partially enclose a handheld electronic device. Theprotective case includes interior surfaces configured to contact thehandheld electronic device when the protective case is coupled thereto,and exterior surfaces including a back side surface configured to faceaway from the handheld electronic device when the protective case iscoupled thereto. An elongated body protrudes from the back side surfaceand has an interior surface secured to or adjoining the back sidesurface, an outer exterior surface that is substantially parallel to theinterior surface, and side exterior surfaces that are between theinterior surface and the outer exterior surface. The side exteriorsurfaces define oppositely-disposed longitudinal side exterior surfacesthat extend between first and second ends of the elongated body, and aplurality of concave recesses are defined in at least one of thelongitudinal side exterior surfaces. The concave recesses define fingerholds that promote a user's grip on the handheld electronic device fromwhich the elongated body protrudes, and each adjacent pair of the fingerholds is separated by a nub.

Technical effect of apparatuses as described above preferably includethe ability for a user to hold a handheld electronic device with asingle hand while gripping the elongated body with one or more fingers,thereby reducing the likelihood that the user will accidentally drop thehandheld device.

Other aspects and advantages of this invention will be furtherappreciated from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C schematically represent backside views of threenonlimiting protective cases configured to encase mobile phones, eachincluding a nonlimiting handhold in accordance with certain nonlimitingembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 schematically represents a perspective view of a nonlimitingprotective case configured to encase a handheld electronic device,wherein the case includes a handhold in accordance with anothernonlimiting embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an isolated plan view of the handhold of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 4 and 5 schematically represent isolated perspective top and endviews, respectively, of a handhold in accordance with anothernonlimiting embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 schematically represents an isolated perspective view of ahandhold in accordance with another nonlimiting embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 7 and 8 schematically represent isolated plan and side views,respectively, of a handhold in accordance with another nonlimitingembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure describes multiple embodiments of apparatuses (referredto as handholds below) that comprise an elongated body sized andconfigured to be secured to a handheld electronic device, protrude froma back side thereof, and provide gripping features on the device toreduce the likelihood of a user dropping the device. As used herein, theterm “handheld electronic device” will be used in accordance with itsordinary meaning to refer to electronic devices that can be operatedwhile held in the hand or hands of a user, and includes such devices asmobile phones, tablet computers, electronic readers, etc., andparticularly devices with interactive touch screens. In general,handholds disclosed below include one or more finger holds that aresecured to the device and are formed by protrusions extending outwardfrom the back side of the device, or another structure secured to thedevice, such as a protective case. Each finger hold provides a locationagainst which one or more of the user's fingertips can be braced suchthat the user is able to better grip and hold the device with a singlehand. The handholds described herein may be applicable to any handheldelectronic device, nonlimiting examples including mobile phones (e.g.,cellular phones, smart phones, etc.), tablet computers, and electronicreaders. The handholds are intended to provide a user with an improvedgrip such that handheld devices may be held and/or used with a singlehand while the user's other hand remains free for other tasks.

Although the invention will be described hereinafter in reference torectangular-shaped smart phone cases shown in the drawings, it will beappreciated that the teachings of the invention are more generallyapplicable to a variety of types of electronic devices and protectivecases therefor having various sizes and shapes. To facilitate thedescription provided below of the embodiments represented in thedrawings, relative terms, including but not limited to, “vertical,”“horizontal,” “front,” “back,” “side,” “upper,” “lower,” “above,”“below,” etc., may be used in reference to the perspective of anoperator during the operation a smart phone either alone or with aprotective case thereon. All such relative terms are intended toindicate the construction and relative orientations of components andfeatures of the handholds, and therefore are relative terms that areuseful to describe the illustrated embodiments but should not beotherwise interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention.

For convenience, the electronic device (e.g., smart phone) will bereferred to as having a front side corresponding to a side having atouch screen, a back side corresponding to a side oppositely disposedthe front, and sides therebetween in which two of the sides are referredto as upper and lower ends designated by the function of the deviceduring its operation (e.g., such that images on the screen are orientedupright relative to the upper and lower ends of the device when thedevice is held with its elongated axis vertical relative to ground).Protective cases of the types represented in the drawings are configuredto snap onto sides of a rectangular, planar electronic device such thatthe sides and back side are covered or at least partially enclosed andprotected with a rigid and/or impact resistant material, thereby leavingthe screen on the front side of the device exposed for use. As such, theprotective cases represented in the drawings will be referred to ashaving interior surfaces intended to contact the sides and back side ofthe device and exterior surfaces that face away from the sides and backside of the device when the interior surfaces of the case are in contacttherewith. The exterior surface of the case facing away from the backside of the device will be referred to as the back side of the case.Upper and lower ends of the case will correspond to the upper and lowerends of the device when the case is coupled thereto.

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C schematically represent backside views of variousnonlimiting protective cases 10, 110, and 210 configured to encase smartphones. Each of the cases 10, 110, and 210 includes a handhold 12, 112,and 212 secured thereto intended to provide one or more finger holds 14,114, and 214. The handholds 12, 112, and 212 include elongated bodiesthat protrude from the back side of the cases 10, 110, and 210. Thehandholds 12, 112, and 212 are shown as having substantially linearshapes. The handhold 12 of FIG. 1A has a uniform linear shape withrounded ends and parallel longitudinal side exterior surfacestherebetween that define a single pair of essentially smooth parallelfinger holds 14, the handhold 112 of FIG. 1B has an irregular linearshape with ends and irregular longitudinal side exterior surfacestherebetween that define multiple irregularly shaped and irregularlypositioned finger holds 114, and the handhold 212 of FIG. 1C has alinear shape with longitudinal side exterior surfaces that each has aseries of regularly shaped and regularly positioned recesses that definesubstantially regular or cyclical patterns in their respectivelongitudinal side exterior surfaces. The handhold 112 in FIG. 1B isgenerally aligned with the longitudinal axis of its respective case 110,whereas the handholds 12 and 212 of FIGS. 1A and 1C are offset from thelongitudinal axis of their respective cases 10 and 210. In eachembodiment, the handholds 12, 112, and 212 are positioned closer to onelongitudinal end or corner than the oppositely-disposed end or corner ofthe cases 10, 110, and 210, which as discussed below is believed toprovide improved grip and comfort when the user is holding the devicewith a single hand and simultaneously interacting with a touch screen ofthe device with the thumb on the same hand.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view depicting the back side of a protectivecase equipped with a handhold, and FIG. 3 is an isolated plan view ofthe handhold of FIG. 2. The handhold shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is moresimilar to the handhold 212 of FIG. 1C than to the handholds 12 and 112of FIGS. 1A and 1B. As such, the case shown in FIG. 2 and the handholdand features thereof shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are identified with the samereference numbers as those used in FIG. 1C. The nonlimiting protectivecase 210 is configured to encase a handheld electronic device (notshown), in this instance an Apple iPhone®. The handhold 212 comprises afixed elongated body secured to and protruding from the back side of thecase 210. The elongated body of the handhold 212 defines an interiorsurface (not shown) facing and contacting or adjoining the case 210, anouter exterior surface that is substantially parallel to the interiorsurface and, therefore, the back side of the case 210, and side exteriorsurfaces that are between and substantially perpendicular the interiorand outer exterior surfaces and, therefore, also substantiallyperpendicular to the back side of the case 210. The side exteriorsurfaces of the handhold 212 define oppositely-disposed first and secondends 216 and 218 of the elongated body and two oppositely-disposedlongitudinal side exterior surfaces of the handhold 212 extendingbetween the first and second ends 216 and 218. Each of the longitudinalside exterior surfaces of the handhold 212 defines a plurality ofconcave depressions or recesses (hereinafter referred to as recesses)that define finger holds 214, with each adjacent pair of finger holds214 being separated by a lobe or nub. The side exterior surface at thefirst end 216 of the handhold 212 also comprises finger holds 214defined by a pair of concave recesses, whereas the second end 218represented in FIGS. 2 and 3 does not comprise any concave recesses.Although not required, in this instance the handhold 212 is symmetricalabout a longitudinal axis L_(h) thereof, and therefore the longitudinalside exterior surfaces of the handhold 212 are identical.

Similar to FIGS. 1A and 1C, FIG. 2 shows the handhold 212 is alignedsuch that its longitudinal axis L_(h) is not parallel to (at an anglerelative to) the longitudinal axis L_(c) of the case 210. In thisinstance, the longitudinal axis L_(h) lies on a diagonal betweenopposite corners of the case 210. The handhold 212 is positioned on thediagonal to be closer to one of the corners of the case 210 than theother corners, in this case closer to one of the corners at the lowerend of the case 210 than the upper end of the case 210. The illustratedorientation and position of the handhold 212 were determined to provideimproved grip and comfort when a user is holding the case 210 (and adevice encased therein) with a single hand while simultaneouslyinteracting with a touch screen of the device with the thumb on the samehand. It will be understood that this orientation is not necessarilylimiting and that the orientation and position of the handhold 212 maydiffer from that shown in FIG. 2.

As previously discussed, the handhold 212 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3includes the finger holds 214 on both of its longitudinal side exteriorsurfaces in order to provide an improved grip regardless of which handthe user is holding the case 210. However, it is within the scope of theinvention that the handhold 212 could have finger holds 214 only on oneof the longitudinal side exterior surfaces of the handhold 212.Likewise, the handhold 212 could have finger holds 214 on either, both,or neither of its ends 216 and 218.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show isolated perspective views of another nonlimitingversion of a handhold 312. Similar to the embodiment represented inFIGS. 2 and 3, the handhold 312 is in the form of an elongated body thatis symmetrical about its longitudinal axis, has substantially identicallongitudinal side exterior surfaces that are between and substantiallyperpendicular the interior and outer exterior surfaces, and periodicrecesses are formed in the longitudinal side surfaces to define aplurality of concave finger holds 314, with each adjacent pair of fingerholds 314 separated by a lobe or nub. In this embodiment, the ends 316and 318 of the elongated body are triangular or spade-shaped and theirouter exterior surfaces are contoured to slope toward the interiorsurface of the handhold 312 such that the elongated body is thinner ateach of its ends 316 and 318 than in the portion of the elongated bodyin which the recesses and nubs that form the finger holds 314 aredefined. The shapes and contours of the ends 316 and 318 are intended toreduce interference as a case to which the handhold 312 is attached isinserted or removed from a pocket or other confined space, while alsoenabling the handhold 312 to offer sufficient gripping surfaces for thefinger holds 314.

Handholds disclosed herein may be formed of various materials including,but not limited to, various hard and soft polymers or a hard foammaterial. The handholds can be integrally formed with their respectivecases or can be separately formed components that are permanently orremovably secured to a case or an electronic device. For example, thehandholds can be fixed to the back side of a case with an suitablecoupling means, as nonlimiting examples, an adhesive such as glue oradhesive tape.

Handholds of this invention may also have various colors and surfacetextures. For example, FIG. 6 shows an isolated view of a nonlimitinghandhold 412 having a structure substantially identical to the handhold312 of FIGS. 4 and 5, and therefore has an outer exterior surface, ends416 and 418, and finger holds 414 formed by regular recesses in twolongitudinal side exterior surfaces of the handhold 312. The handhold412 also includes decorative materials 420 embedded in the outerexterior surface for aesthetic purposes. Furthermore, the handholdsdisclosed herein may include text, logos, or other labels thereon, forexample, on their outer exterior surfaces.

FIGS. 7 and 8 schematically show isolated plan and side views of anothernonlimiting version of a handhold 512. Similar to the embodimentsrepresented in FIGS. 2 through 6, the handhold 512 is in the form of anelongated body that is symmetrical about its longitudinal axis L_(h) andwhose longitudinal side exterior surfaces have periodic recesses todefine a plurality of concave finger holds 514, with each adjacent pairof finger holds 514 being separated by a lobe or nub 515. FIG. 8schematically depicts the handhold 512 as having means for coupling thehandhold 512 to the back side of a protective case, the coupling meansbeing represented as an adhesive tape 524 adhered to the interiorsurface 526 of the body. In this embodiment, each end 516 and 518 of theelongated body defines an edge that is perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis L_(h), and the outer exterior surfaces 520 and 522 adjacent theends 516 and 518, respectively, are contoured to slope toward theinterior surface of the handhold 512 such that the elongated body isthinner at each of its ends 516 and 518 than in the intermediate portionof the elongated body in which the recesses and nubs 515 that form thefinger holds 514 are defined. Similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and5, such a configuration is intended to provide a balance betweenoffering sufficient gripping surfaces for the finger holds 514 whilereducing interference as a case to which the handhold 512 is attached isinserted or removed from a pocket or other confined space.

While the invention has been described in terms of specific orparticular embodiments, it should be apparent that alternatives could beadopted by one skilled in the art. For example, the protective caseand/or the handholds could differ in appearance and construction fromthe embodiments described herein and shown in the drawings, functions ofcertain components of the protective cases and/or handholds could beperformed by components of different construction but capable of asimilar (though not necessarily equivalent) function, and variousmaterials could be used in the fabrication of the protective casesand/or handholds. In addition, while FIGS. 1 and 2 represent protectivecases than include only a single handhold, it is within the scope of theinvention that a handheld device or protective case may include morethan one handhold. As such, it should be understood that the abovedetailed description is intended to describe the particular embodimentsrepresented in the drawings and certain but not necessarily all featuresand aspects thereof, and to identify certain but not necessarily allalternatives to the represented embodiments and described features andaspects. As a nonlimiting example, the invention encompasses additionalor alternative embodiments in which one or more features or aspects of aparticular embodiment could be eliminated or two or more features oraspects of different embodiments could be combined. Accordingly, itshould be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited toany embodiment described herein or illustrated in the drawings, and thephraseology and terminology employed above are for the purpose ofdescribing the illustrated embodiments and do not necessarily serve aslimitations to the scope of the invention. It should also be understoodthat the phraseology and terminology employed above are for the purposeof describing the disclosed embodiments, and do not necessarily serve aslimitations to the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of theinvention is to be limited only by the following claims.

1. An apparatus comprising: an elongated body sized and configured to besecured to a handheld electronic device and protrude from a back sidethereof, the elongated body having an interior surface, an outerexterior surface that is substantially parallel to the interior surface,and side exterior surfaces that are between the interior surface and theouter exterior surface, the side exterior surfaces definingoppositely-disposed longitudinal side exterior surfaces that extendbetween first and second ends of the elongated body; and a plurality ofconcave recesses defined in at least one of the longitudinal sideexterior surfaces, the concave recesses defining finger holds thatpromote a user's grip on the handheld electronic device from which theelongated body protrudes, each adjacent pair of the finger holds beingseparated by a nub.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprisingmeans for directly or indirectly coupling the interior surface to thehandheld electronic device.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theside exterior surfaces are substantially perpendicular the interiorsurface and the outer exterior surface.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the concave recesses, the nubs, and the finger holds are definedin each of the longitudinal side exterior surfaces.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 3, further comprising at least one additional concave recess on atleast the first end of the elongated body.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein a concave recess is not defined in the second end of theelongated body.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of thefirst and second ends of the elongated body is triangular orspade-shaped.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of thefirst and second ends of the elongated body has a surface that slopestoward the interior surface of the elongated body such that theelongated body is thinner at at least the one of the first and secondends than in an intermediate portion of the elongated body in which therecesses and nubs are defined.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theelongated body is secured and protrudes from a back side of a protectivecase configured to be coupled with and at least partially enclose thehandheld electronic device.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein theprotective case has a rectangular shaped body, and a longitudinal axisof the elongated body lies on a diagonal between opposite corners of theprotective case.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the elongatedbody is positioned closer to one end of the protective case than anoppositely-disposed end of the protective case.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 9, wherein the protective case is configured to couple with amobile phone.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the handheldelectronic device is a mobile phone.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the handheld electronic device is a tablet computer.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the handheld electronic device is anelectronic reader.
 16. An apparatus comprising: a protective caseconfigured to be removably coupled with and at least partially enclose ahandheld electronic device, the protective case comprising interiorsurfaces configured to contact the handheld electronic device when theprotective case is coupled thereto and exterior surfaces configured toface away from the handheld electronic device when the protective caseis coupled thereto, the exterior surfaces comprising a back sidesurface; an elongated body protruding from the back side surface, theelongated body having an interior surface secured to or adjoining theback side surface, an outer exterior surface that is substantiallyparallel to the interior surface, and side exterior surfaces that arebetween the interior surface and the outer exterior surface, the sideexterior surfaces defining oppositely-disposed longitudinal sideexterior surfaces that extend between first and second ends of theelongated body; and a plurality of concave recesses defined in at leastone of the longitudinal side exterior surfaces, the concave recessesdefining finger holds that promote a user's grip on the handheldelectronic device from which the elongated body protrudes, each adjacentpair of the finger holds being separated by a nub.
 20. The apparatus ofclaim 19, wherein the side exterior surfaces are substantiallyperpendicular the interior surface and the outer exterior surface, andthe concave recesses, the nubs, and the finger holds are defined in eachof the longitudinal side exterior surfaces.